


Secrets

by ToxicRadiation



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-16 03:50:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToxicRadiation/pseuds/ToxicRadiation
Summary: Data's hearing is better than anyone else's on the ship. Surely such a convenient ability could never cause him any harm, right?





	Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't completely decided where I'm going with this, but I'm going somewhere!
> 
> Sorry about the lack of indentation...

A quiet hum resounded through Engineering. Data could hear it over the scurried footsteps of the second shift crew. It was always there, faint yet indicative of the great power the Enterprise’s core held. If anything began to malfunction, the sound would quiver and change its reverberations. The resulting melody would be quite telltale of the issue, but such secrets were shared only with Data. He was after all, the only one who could hear them.  
The inner workings of his ears were as delicate as any humans, yet allowed for several times the normal frequency, pitch and range of sounds to be detected. It was also possible for him to discern between over three hundred different ones at once, though that was almost never a relevant talent. Almost.  
Here in Engineering though, it certainly didn’t hurt. He paused at the console in front of him, his hands freezing in their tracks and his eyes momentarily closing. The ambient noises around him became isolated one by one, as his positronic brain picked through them to locate that familiar hum. Within a single second, he’d found it. It filled his head with its timbre, as the other sounds were forcefully silenced.  
Every now and then, he liked to listen to the music of the warp core in this way. It’s gentle greatness enveloping him as he stood at the console. In his opinion, this was the best method to perform a check up. It was a personal and quick test. So much so, that no one ever noticed Data conducting it. Not that the junior officers ever bothered to pay much mind to Data’s peculiar behaviors anyway.  
“Data?” came a voice that was stronger than the hum looping inside his mind. The reality of its echoes chased the sweet sound away, leaving the normal din of thoughts in its wake. Data’s eyes popped open at the intrusion and he turned to look down at Geordi. An expression of puzzlement was reflected on both their faces. “Data, are you alright?” Geordi was frowning, with his eyes on the android, awaiting an answer.  
“Yes.” Data gave a quick nod to try to bring assurance to his reply.  
“What...exactly were you doing? Standing here with your eyes closed and just humming?”  
“An experiment. It is normal. I conduct it every so often when I help you perform maintenance on the warp core.” Data redirected his attention to the screen before him and began to make the final adjustments that he’d put off moments before. “There is much to be explained about it, but that will have to wait for now.”  
Geordi frowned again and crossed his arms. “Oh? Data, we’re mostly done here. I think we’ve got the time.”  
Data paused after Geordi’s words in a startlingly unnatural way. It appeared as though only his hands had frozen over, though the initial halting was choppy. He turned to his best friend and asked with what Geordi could have sworn was mild panic in his voice, “You did say I was humming, correct?”  
Geordi’s attention was on Data’s hands, hovering just above the console. “Yeah, I did. Are you...having trouble with your fine motor ski-” Geordi looked up as he spoke, just in time to see Data grip the edge of the console so tightly the synthetic material fractured. “Data!” Geordi immediately placed a hand on his friend’s back, trying to steady him.  
Data was leaning into the console with more weight than it could hold. There was an ugly tearing sound coming from where the unit was connected to the paneling in the wall. It was clear enough to Geordi that Data was unable to steady himself, and this particular console was going to be forfeit.  
Geordi tapped the comm badge on his chest. A familiar sound echoed through that section of Engineering, and Geordi quickly spoke, “Engineering to Sick Bay. Medical emergency. It’s Data. Bring an anti-grav lift.” As Doctor Beverly Crusher’s acknowledgement floated in the background like a ghost, Geordi brought his attention back to Data.  
The console was rapidly falling apart in the android's desperate clutches. It wasn’t going to hold him up much longer. That was clear to the both of them. Data seemed to be struggling to remove his hands from the holds that he’d forced into the material, but his body wasn’t responding. There was desperation and confusion mixing in Data’s features as his motor skills betrayed him. Geordi thought he could see genuine suffering in his friend’s unblinking eyes, and he said the only thing he could think to offer: “You’re going to be fine, Buddy. I’ll make sure of it.”  
With that shocked and confused look seemingly frozen on his face, Data opened and closed his mouth a few times with choppy motions. Sound finally emerged, though it was electronic and warped. “Tha-nk you Geor-di,” Data managed to choke out.  
Geordi gently placed his hand on the android’s shoulder and then stepped briefly away to grab a tri-corder. He planned to do some initial scanning before the medical team appeared. As his hand closed around the instrument, he noticed a hushed murmur coming from where he’d left Data and that the crew had for the most part abandoned their stations.  
Geordi sighed and rushed back to Data’s side. As he got there, he saw the medical team approaching with the anti-grav lift he’d recommended. “Alright everyone, shows over. Go back to your posts and let the medical staff help the Commander here.” At Geordi’s words, his officers immediately resumed their duties as if nothing unusual were happening at all. He was positive that if Data remembered this event, he would be as embarrassed as was possible about it all.


End file.
